Winter cycling shoes: Which sole is better? The road bike sole or the sole with tread?

Although the number of winter shoe models with treadless road bike soles is decreasing, the more elegant models still have a firm place in the range of Italian brands such as Fizik or Sidi. One reason for this is certainly that many regions in Italy are also free of snow during the winter months. In addition, the somewhat clunky tread soles of winter cycling shoes are not to the taste of fashion-conscious Italians who prefer to do their training laps on road bike pedals rather than MTB cleats, even in winter.

Winter cycling shoes: More grip with MTB or gravel shoes

In purely technical terms, MTB or gravel winter shoes offer a few advantages that even classic road cyclists should not ignore: They offer better grip and stability off-road, on muddy ground and gravel. The same applies to snow-covered roadsides, where the tread clings to the snow and provides a firm grip in places where a slippery road bike sole could cause slippage.

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The disadvantage of the treaded soles compared to the narrow and smooth road bike soles is that they are not compatible with the classic road bike pedal, but only have a mount for the small metal cleats suitable for mountain bike pedals.

Advantages and disadvantages of the tread sole

+ Grip on slippery surfaces

+ Walking characteristics, for example with a shouldered racer for carrying passages

+ Hardly any pedal plate wear when walking

- due to the different pedal plate standard compared to road bike shoes, new pedals must be fitted accordingly

Advantages and disadvantages of the treadless road bike sole

+ the familiar pedal system remains on the racer

+ Stance and power transmission better than with the profile shoe

+ elegant look

+ lower weight

- Poor walking characteristics and low grip

In TOUR 11-2022 we tested seven waterproof and warm winter cycling shoes in the price range between 200 and 270 euros: